A delegation from the Islamic Republic of Iran visited the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
According to the Head of the delegation, Mr. Akbar Niazi, a member of the Board of Directors and the Head of the free economic zone (FEZ) Enzeli, all participants of the meeting from Iran represent its free zones. He said that there are seven free economic zones in their country, where all conditions for the development of trade and business are created and nurtured, while diverse benefits are being provided for Iran’s residents.
The Enzelie FEZ is located on the southern border of the Caspian Sea, has the total land area of about 8,609 hectares and has a 40-kilometer coastline in the province of Gilan. Russia is a key partner for Enezeli, and the prospects for developing trade and business relations are very promising. Mr. Niazi noted that the region has an opportunity to deliver goods by four types of transportation - by sea, rail, land and air. About 850 investment projects are being implemented within the FEZ. "We are ready to help solve bureaucratic problems for Russian entrepreneurs," said the Head of the Iranian delegation.
"Now is a unique time for the development of imports, exports and for the implementation of investment projects," noted Mr. Roushan-ali Yektai, the Vice President of the Iran-Russia Joint Chamber of Commerce. "Enzeli is an advanced FEZ, and with its use, we are ready to provide maximum assistance to supply goods. This free zone is a bridge for transit of products not only for Russia, but also for the whole world". The speaker also noted good prospects for cooperation in construction, tourism and education.
The Iranian delegation presented to the MCCI an illustrated catalog, as well as its electronic version, of products that Iran is ready to supply Russia. As Mr. Vladimir Platonov, the President of the MCCI, emphasized, the Chamber is ready to invite potential partners, interested in establishing ties with Iran. "But before we familiarize them with specific proposals, we do carefully verify them, as we always act as guarantors of partners' reliability," said the Head of the MCCI.
Mr. Nikolay Mashkov, the Chairman of the MCCI’s Commission for Foreign Economic Cooperation with Partners in Iran, said that the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry "is an entry point to the entire market of the Russian Federation.”
He mentioned vectors, which are necessary to develop cooperation with the free economic zones of Iran: development and expansion of trade, creation of small industrial enterprises (both joint and indigenously Russian) on the territory of FEZs, which will maximise the use of utilities provided to their respective residents. The expert named interaction with banks as another, most important area of work, as Russian entrepreneurs are more used of working with their own banking structures.
During the meeting Mr. Mashkov mentioned the problem of fish shortage in Makhachkala and immediately got response in solving it by Iranian companies.
Another important topic, raised at the meeting by Iranian businessmen, was customs’ duties, due to which, Iranian products enter Russian markets by roundabout routes - through Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey, which affects both the quality and price of the final product. Mr. Platonov promised to get involved in studying the issue and finding a solution to the existing problem.
In addition, Mr. Platonov said that the Peoples' Friendship University, where he teaches, now has 200 Iranian students. They have an opportunity to acquire entrepreneurial skills simultaneously with their basic education, so that they may represent Iranian companies in Russia.
Summarizing the meeting, the parties noted that this is a unique moment for a comprehensive development of business relations between Russia and Iran, and the parties will make every effort to establish mutually beneficial relations.